Author: jaymem13

I have the hardest time finding a foundation that I love. I think I’ve gone through roughly 4 foundations since December, which is a lot in my opinion. During my last trip to Ulta, I was discussing my dry skin foundation issues with an associate. I have terribly dry skin and struggle to find a foundation that will not only cover my redness but not cling to my dry patches and flake off throughout the day. After listening to me rant and rave about my skin and foundation issues, she pointed me to the Tarte Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation. I was a little apprehensive as I’ve tried the Amazonian Clay foundation and looked less like a nourished Amazonian rainforest and more like a dried up desert. But she assured me this foundation was made for people like me who have disgustingly dry skin and dry patches no matter how much they may moisturize and exfoliate. So, I caved and shelled out the $39 dollars for this foundation that I had little to no hope for because I was already discourage from the last 4 foundations. What did I have to lose at this point?! Once I got home, I jumped on my computer and went straight to the Tarte website and did a little research. Tarte claims;

“Smooth skin is in with this radiant, full coverage foundation with skin-loving ingredients wrapped in a luxurious, creamy gel. The unique, oil-free blend of smoothing, plumping and pore refining ingredients help brighten skin while moisturizing and blurring the look of fine lines and pores. The cooling, hypoallergenic gel feels like a drink of water for your skin, while masking any redness, dark spots, acne and uneven skin tone for 12-hour wear across skin types. It’s available in a range of shades to match any skin tone with a soft, rose scent and natural, radiant finish.”

After reading that lovely description, I was extremely excited. It seemed to have all the things I was looking for. My skin is honestly a mess, more so now at 25 than when I was a teenager with raging hormones.

(Bare face)

I have basically every problem they describe in the description so this seemed like a match made in heaven. Not only did it sound like a cure all for my lizard skin, but the packaging is GORGEOUS. There is 30ml/1 floz of product in this stunning frosted glass pot. The lid is gold with Tarte’s signature purple chevrons on the side, and man does it feel expensive. I applied the foundation to half of my face and noticed right away it covered the redness and dark spots without being too heavy.

I used a complexion brush in circular motions like they suggest but felt it looked streaky so ended up kind of dabbing it on instead. I let it set a bit to see if it was clinging to any of my dryer spots, especially in my t zone and around my nose. It held up pretty well in those spots, so I applied it to the rest of my face. It definitely covers up redness and evens the skin tone but I really don’t think it’s full coverage. My freckles and tiny acne spots are a bit noticeable, so I went in with a second layer.

It layers very nicely without being cakey and heavy and covers much more with two layers. I did notice a downside within 20 minutes of application… it does not set. I do not mind a dewy finish, in fact I think it’s lovely but this foundation moves on the skin if not set with a powder. So, I set it with a powder and applied the rest of my makeup. The fact that it doesn’t dry down makes everything extremely difficult to blend. I had a pretty difficult time blending out my contour as it feels like the brush is just tugging on the skin and shifting the foundation around. I managed to apply a full face and figured I’d test out the “12 hour” wear.

(Full face)

Just as you can imagine, you do not get 12 hours. I got probably 5-6 hours of wear out of it before it started to separate on my skin, I’ll admit that I did like how it looked for those 6 hours. Bottom line, would I recommend this? No. As it smells lovely and looks expensive, there is not an extensive shade range, it is not long lasting even with a setting spray, it doesn’t set so gets on your clothes and can be wiped off if you itch your face. It didn’t cling to my dry spots and it did cover most of my redness but those pros do not out weigh the cons. I will probably return it and just ask if they can give me a new face. So on to the next foundation. If anyone has any suggestions to great foundations, I’d love to hear it!

With spring upon us, I decided to freshen up my wardrobe. It’s still pretty chilly here in Indiana so I haven’t had too many opportunities to wear what I purchased so I figured I’d model the looks for you all! I got a few versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched with other new pieces as well as the stuff I already have in my closet.

The first outfit is a black top, floral maroon kimono, black pleated skirt, and black tights. I feel like this outfit is effortless, comfortable, and somewhat dressy. You could wear it with flats to the store or heels for a night out!

Second outfit is a pastel pink crop top with a cute little bowl of ramen printed on it, a pair of high waisted distressed black jeans, and black boots. This is one of my favorite outfits because it’s comfortable and pairs perfectly with my favorite hairstyle. The 90’s space buns are underrated, in my opinion!

The third outfit is so adorable and a throw back to my high school days. I paired a yellow Sublime bodysuit with a corduroy jumper, pink ankle socks with tacos on them, and tan ankle boots! I’m obsessed with cute socks so this is a perfect chance to show them off!

These are just three of my favorite outfits that I scooped up from Forever 21. They can all be mixed and matched and paired together. I love pieces that are versatile and can be worn with pretty much anything in my closet! Now, if only this Indiana weather to cooperate so I could put away my winter clothes!!

Sorry for the delay! I’ve spent the last week or so recovering from my wisdom teeth removal, it’s been a pain in the neck (literally). I am so excited to review this highly anticipated palette, I ordered it the moment it dropped and couldn’t wait for it to arrive. I had my husband texting me the count down so I didn’t miss my chance to buy it, I’m sure he was thrilled to be my alarm clock. We are going to dive into the sequel to Jeffree Star’s “Beauty Killer” palette, the “Androgyny” palette. I never purchased the Beauty Killer palette as I couldn’t see myself using the hot pink and other bold colors often. I try to buy makeup that I’ll use frequently so when I heard he was coming out with his version of a “neutral” palette, I was ecstatic. I ordered it on the Saturday it was released and received it the following Friday. I was really pleased with how fast it shipped considering the website was flooded with orders. I was basically staring out the window like the neighborhood weirdo waiting for the package to arrive. I’m sure my neighbors thought I was spying on them as they walked by lol. It arrived in Jeffree’s typically hot pink box wrapped in tissue paper and bubble wrap to ensure safe delivery. I was so scared it was going to be shattered upon arrival because of how delicate makeup is, thankfully it was perfect because I don’t think I could have dealt with that heartbreak 💔. The palette itself is hot pink with “Androgyny” in gold lettering, as well as his signature JS star logo. The outside of the palette resembles lizard or snake skin and looks very luxurious and high fashion. I’ve never seen a hot pink lizard so I can only assume it is vegan and not made from real lizard ;).

Inside is an array of colors, most of which you probably wouldn’t consider neutrals. There are two very buttery glitter shades, two slightly shimmery shades, and six matte shades. They range from a warm taupe, to a deep red, and to two rich blue tones as well as an orange and military green. The pans are massive, probably the biggest eyeshadow pans I’ve ever come across but large quantities seem to be a constant in his makeup. The colors themselves are extremely pigmented and soft to the touch. Before I used it on my face, I took the time to swatch it on my ghostly pale arm and was blown away, one swipe with my finger and that was all it took to get true to pan color.

I was so tempted to just use every color on my eyes because it was so hard to choose just a few. Now, that would have been a site worth seeing. All of these colors are extremely blendable and work really well together, I never imagined I’d pair blue with orange but I did and absolutely loved it! Each shade name is unique and intriguing, I was immediately drawn to “deja vu,” which is a very glittery burnt orange as I have never seen an eyeshadow this color before. This is hands down one of the most beautiful palettes I own, inside and out. The packaging is flawless and the shadows themselves are so stunning and pigmented that I haven’t been using an eyeshadow primer.

I find myself extremely excited to apply my makeup just so I can find new combinations to make with this palette. I actually used the gold glitter shade “frosting” as a highlighter today and was glowing to the high heavens. This palette gets two huge thumbs up and I encourage everyone to pick it up. For the amount of product you get and pigmentation, I’d say $45 is a fair price. This palette is a fun way to step out of the comfort zone of your typical browns and dive into a new wave of neutrals!

I’ve been a Jeffree Star fan since the ol MySpace days. His bright pink hair and flamboyant demeanor made him immediately relatable, so when I heard he had a cosmetic line I was infatuated from the start. Sometime in mid December my husband used his best judgement and bought a few products from Jeffree Star Cosmetics to give to me as a gift. He ordered, much to my surprise, Jeffree Star’s highlighter (or what Jeffree calls, Skin Frost.) We were on our way to my cousins wedding when he reached behind the passenger seat and plopped that hot pink box on my lap. If I recall correctly, I squealed with joy.

Highlighter is my go to product, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if I’m a doing a full on dramatic look or just a simple foundation and mascara day, I wear highlighter. I was extremely excited to try this product out, as I was ready to shine bright like a diamond. My first impression upon opening the box was
“Where have you been all my life?!”
He takes the utmost care in packaging his makeup and really shows he cares about the little details, like the paper and boxes they are wrapped in. Since it was the holiday season, it came wrapped in red and white tissue paper with his signature star logo on it. After gently ripping the paper off (because I’m a hoarder and wanted to keep it for all eternity) I found myself completely in awe at the compact. It’s the prettiest hot pink with a baby pink metallic JS star on the front. The amount of product you get for the price is honestly a steal. You get about a half an ounce of product in a massively beautiful compact. I couldn’t wait to open it to see the shade. My husband ended up picking “ice cold” which is a white base with gold and blue shimmer in it. I’m extremely pale so this shade suits me perfectly but I’m sure it would look great on anyone.

The formula itself is very unique as most highlighters I’ve found can be dry and chalky. This highlighter has a formula all it’s own. It is soft and luxurious. You can tell he took ample time perfecting his formula as it is flawless. I use my favorite Luxie tapered highlight brush to apply it and it works like a dream. According to the description on his website, it can be used wet or dry for a more pigmented look but honestly even dry it is BRIGHT.

You could literally be seen by a NASA satellite in this stuff. I use it for more than just highlighting my cheek bones, basically I paint myself with it.I highlight my collar bone, use it to highlight my brow bone, on my Cupid’s bow, on the inner corner of my eye, and sometimes even as eyeshadow. It has so many uses and is safe for anywhere!

He has 12 shades in total ranging from a hot pink appropriately named “Regina George” to black which he calls “Onyx Ice.” No matter which shade you choose to call your own, you’ll be extremely happy and glow to the Gods. His formulas are one of a kind and for $29 you really can’t beat it.

Today was an average day for me. We had some errands to run before my husband left for work so I thought I’d take you along for the ride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

700 am: I woke up with my one year old for cereal and coffee.. You can guess who had what (Mom was super sleepy today) soon followed by my four and five year old.

702 am: My two oldest kiddos are already fighting over what to watch.. *rolls eyes and puts on The Nightmare Before Christmas because it’s what I want to watch. Kids-0 Mom-1 😉

1030 am: My husband wakes up and joins us downstairs for breakfast. He usually sleeps in on the days he is to work nights! I force feed him scrambled eggs and plain oatmeal with flax. He likes to brodown at the gym and has a very strict diet. I’m a bad influence and like to describe cheeseburgers in great detail and torture him.

11 am: I start doing my makeup for the day and decided to keep it simple and dip into my Ulta Rose Gold palette. I like it a lot for days I’m feeling a basic neutral eye and want to keep it quick and easy. The colors range from pastel pinks to deep browns with matte and shimmer shades. It has a decent amount of pigment for the price point so two thumbs up.

1130 am: I finish my makeup, second cup of coffee, and get myself and the kids dressed. Its more like wrestling a gator than dressing a person as they fight me the entire time. We have a couple errands to run including driving 30 minutes to another town to pick up my dental referral. I have an appointment Monday morning to have my wisdom teeth removed so that’ll be a fun blog day.

1230 pm: We are FINALLY on our way. My youngest fell asleep within 3 minutes of driving. Car naps are his favorite thing in the world. He falls asleep every single time we leave the house even if it’s 10 minutes down the road. My daughter is obsessed with Sia right now so we all sing along to pass the time.

1 pm: I finally pick up my dental records from “Asspen” dental. I call them that because they tried to over charge me and claim my teeth were impacted when they ARE NOT! Well guess who found another more reasonable surgeon with better reviews.. 👍Notice the obnoxious silver fillings I got as a child. I know, I’m a fancy individual. Who knew cavities could be so glamorous.

2 pm: We arrive home to finally relax before my husband goes to work. I make everyone lunch and head straight for the coffee bar because, Momma needs another cup. The coffee bar my husband built me is my favorite part of our 100 year old home. I practically live at it, if you couldn’t tell, coffee is my lifeline.

3 pm: My husband and I go a few rounds, and by that I mean a few thumb wrestling rounds. We randomly thumb wrestle each other throughout the day. Usually he wins because I wear my thumb out moving it around like a crazy worm. Not to mention, his hands are like twice the size of mine but I occasionally taste sweet, sweet victory!

4-5 pm: We fall asleep on the couch after a long day of doing nothing. He likes to nap before work and I like to nap because naps RULE. I’m a mom so I’m always tired and thrive off my deep love of caffeine and 20 minute cat naps. My husband leaves for work and I make myself a peanut butter and jelly because I’m not feeling cooking today. The kids were ecstatic about the idea of pb&j’s for dinner.

6 pm: The kids eat their dinner and play with dinosaurs while I sit down and write this for you to enjoy. We live a basic Midwest life but our adventures are filled with laughs and smiles and LOTS of coffee. I hope you enjoy your night, or day depending on your time zone (I don’t want to leave anyone out ☺️)! Keep your eyes peeled for another review tomorrow!

Today, it was a bit too cold to adventure outside so I decided to mess around with my Urban Decay Full Spectrum palette. I picked it up at Ulta for my birthday for around 55 bucks. Was it worth it? Well lemme tell yuh…I honestly use it a lot more than I thought. At first, I regretted purchasing it because it looks like a palette full of clown make up (I am deathly afraid of clowns. The Stephen King series,IT, scarred me as a child. Tim Curry and his sewer shenanigans…*shivers). The palette itself is really pretty. I’m like a moth the a flame when it comes to shiny things, so seeing the giant bedazzled UD on the front was a selling point. It’s made of a really sturdy plastic and feels expensive, which is a nice little nuance to have just to justify a higher price. Inside there are 21 bold colors covering, you guessed it, the full spectrum of a rainbow and then some.

It has a few different shades of the basic primary colors; purple, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, with a welcomed bonus of a shimmery black shade, white, and an ultra glittery silver shade. The shade names themselves are pretty interesting and suit each color, with a deep, shimmery blue being labeled as Minx, and a dusty rose going by the name of Alchemy being a few of my favorite names. As pretty as the palette is, it does have some draw backs. While the brush is pretty great and the giant mirror is perfect for applying makeup, the shadows themselves are lacking a bit. Some shades are very pigmented and others are very sheer. The shimmer shades themselves are buttery and soft to the touch, and in my opinion are more pigmented and insanely pretty. I have a hard time loving the matte shades though, as they are really chalky and take a lot of layers to have a true to pan color, translating to a harder blend. No one wants to sit there and blend the same shade for 15 minutes, at least not me, since I have three rambunctious kids who seem to swarm once I start my makeup.

I swatched a few shades on my arm to show the colors on my extremely pale winter skin, knowing that it would prove to be the perfect canvas to make the colors pop. I asked my darling husband to be my test subject but he wasn’t really about it, (Notice the look of “are you in your right state of mind?”) so I’ll just have to wait until he falls asleep 😈.

So, would I recommend this palette? Honestly, yes! It’s on sale right now for $33 and that’s a great deal for all of these colors. It’ll prove to be handy for the upcoming festival season or even if you’re wanting to branch out and try some bold colors you otherwise would never pay any mind to. While I was a little harsh on the matte colors, I think with a solid eyeshadow primer or a damp brush and a little experimenting, they certainly have potential. This isn’t my everyday palette, but the vibrant range of colors make it fun to play around with and it certainly is great to have in any makeup collection!

Living in northern Indiana means we have rather brutal winters. We spend November thru March huddled around the fireplace waiting for spring. Well, spring arrived a little earlier than expected and the Moore Clan decided to spend this unseasonably warm gloomy day outside. These kids needed to burn some pent up energy. My wonderful husband loaded up their mock Arctic Cat and away we went.

Luckily, the park we chose to explore was only a mere 3 minute drive. It’s basically a giant open field with hills. Perfect for them to drive aimlessly without risking the safety of others (truth be told, 5 year olds are not the best drivers). While I stood watch, my husband chased the car around making monster noises. I love that my husband is one of the kids. He’s not afraid to look silly and be goofy with them. Best dad ever…

Alright, enough of the sappy stuff. Anyway, this was my one year old son’s first time riding along with the big kids. He had watched from a distance last summer and was chomping at the bit to take a turn.

We spent about 30 minutes running around in the fog and gloom while the kids took turns chauffeuring each other around. My husband showed me some of his chest presses and apple bottom forming elliptical workouts on the oddly placed outside gym equipment.

Then the battery died in their car, much to their dismay, and we loaded 3 very angry kids back into the our truck and drove home for snacks, water, and naps (not the kids, my husband and I. We may be 25 and 30 but are old souls lol). Needless to say, we all had a blast and can’t wait for the next nice day. Hopefully that insufferable groundhog is wrong and spring arrives sooner rather than later!

I’m new to the “high end” makeup scene. Before 2016, I wore the basics. Cheap foundation, loads of eyeliner( I can’t seem to let my inner emo teenself die), mascara, and the occasional quick swipe of sheer shadow across my lid. It seems like over the last year, YouTube stars have started a makeup frenzy. Contouring, highlighting, baking, “fleeky” brows, and the zillions of other makeup trends that have taken hold of millenials, myself included. I decided to absorb as much beauty knowledge as I could and take the plunge into the deep, dark world of makeup. I bookmarked dozens of tutorials. I favorited the best eyeshadow palettes. I was ready to take on the makeup scene. When Christmas rolled around and my husband gifted me my first “luxury brand” eye shadow palette, I almost died and went to heaven. I had been eye balling the Anastasia of Beverly Hills ‘Modern Renaissance’ palette for a month or two before the holidays.. My husband lucked out and picked it on a whim. I was a little intimidated when I first open that beautiful little mauve box. You could tell right off the bat, it wasn’t going to be like those little plastic drug store shadows. The palette itself is covered in what feels like velvet. My first thought?

“You fancy, huh?!”

I opened the palette itself to feast my eyes on the GLORIOUS colors inside. Each named after an early renaissance art term. Like I previously said, I only had cheap eyeshadow previously so I had no clue what pigmented actually was but as soon as I swiped my finger across the shadows and wiped it on the back of my hand, I knew it was going to be a good day. These shadows feel like butter. Better yet, the velvet that wraps the box. They are soft. It seems like most shadows are chalky. Not these. These are unlike anything I’ve used. The colors are not something I’m accustomed to using, and not something I would have thought would work together. They all can be paired in any which way you choose to create a custom look that is all your own. The colors range from burnt oranges, to golds, to reds and pinks! Some of the shades are matte and some have little flakes of glitter. There are also two beautiful pearlescent shimmer shades that are to die for. I would bathe in them and glow to the gods, if I could. I’ve used almost every color in the palette over the last few months. Mixing and matching hues to creat bold or understated looks to suit my mood. I was admiring it today and noticed I had left a shade untouched. I rallied a volunteer (which happened to be my beautiful 5 year old daughter who was standing close by) and did a quick two toned smoky eye using the neglected gold shade. Needless to say, she was thrilled that I shared my makeup (no, she does not leave the house with makeup on)and I was in awe at the fact I had left the shade untouched since December. I thought to myself,

“Don’t worry, Golden Ochre, nobody puts baby in the corner.”

I’m so thrilled this was my first “high end” palette. Honestly, it sets the bar incredibly high. It’s pigmented, the colors are stunning, they suit any skin tone, the brush inside is wonderful. I can’t think of a single complaint and I use it almost daily. I’m no beauty guru. I was a makeup “n00b” only a few months ago, so if I can use this with ease, anyone can. If you’re ready to come to the dark side and take the plunge, buy this palette. Even if you only wear makeup once a month, buy it. Pamper yourself. You deserve it ❤️

If you already have it, I’d love to hear some of your favorite combinations, or even your go to eyeshadow palettes!